Thoughts on Teaching: The Power Morning!

I really want to do a series called “Thoughts on Teaching.” Why? Well, I’ve been reading a lot lately and have been excited about some of the ideas I’ve come across. As I process all that, I always want to write about it. May as well bounce my ideas with my online reader friends, right?!!

Do you ever need a private cheerleader… someone to pat you on the back and tell you how amazing you are for juggling everything you do as a homeschool parent? Okay, well first off let me tell you that YOU ARE amazing!! You are doing a fabulous job with your kids. How do I know? Well, I know that you know your kids better than anyone else on Earth. And, I also know that you are more motivated than anyone else to help them learn and gain new skills. You are invested in them, their future, their life! You deserve thanks and a huge high five for creating an amazing education for your kids. WAY TO GO!!

Now I’ve said that to you, but the hard reality is, we don’t hear that as often as we should, right? I need (and maybe you do too??) ways to keep motivated. To keep on top of things. To keep my energy up. To be enthusiastic even when fill_in_the_blank happens (…. perhaps I’m sick, the kids are grumpy, the phone keeps ringing and interrupting us, the kids bicker, or any of the other small challenges that crop up!)

So, how do I personally get motivated? I read! (And hang out with amazing friends too.)

This summer I gravitated towards books that were inspiring and motivating… for everything from organizing the day to being the best teacher I can be. I definitely need to be passionate, centered, and focused each and every day. How am I going to maintain that over the long haul… 12 to 15 weeks of the semester?

I like the thought of being energized, organized, centered, focused and READY for each day!

Hal (I feel like I’m on a first name basis with him after reading his book!) had six items in his morning routine with the acronym SAVERS: Silence, Affirmations, Visualization, Exercise, Reading, Scribing (Writing) Would that work for me?

As I wrote in my journal (when I was reading the book)… Homeschooling goes more smoothly if I am completely charged and ready for the day. If I’m running three steps behind , then the day feels much more out of control. I wanted to start my day on the right foot… to have a Powerful Morning!! And not only that, but to wake up and become something extraordinary!

I took an honest look at what I tried to squeeze into my morning before homeschool. I always assumed I need about a half-hour maybe forty-five minutes to be ready for the day. Then I sat down, jotted everything I do each morning. I wrote down about how long each took and was really pretty SHOCKED to realize just how much time I actuallyneed to do everything on my list. It wasn’t 30 minutes. It was more like 90 to 95 minutes? What?!! 2 or 3 x longer than I had thought!! No wonder I sometimes felt harried and behind!! I definitely needed to take better hold of my morning as a Homeschool Mom.

Can you see why I couldn’t get to all that in 30 or 40 minutes like I thought I could?!!!

So yes, it was time to take hold of my morning! Time for a new routine… the routine of getting up and truly getting ready for my (successful!) day!

First, I explained to my light sleeper and early riser, ED, that I now had a set bed-time and that I am going to have an hour of morning time to myself. I wouldn’t be available to read with her until 8:15am. “Okay,” she said. Then, I set my alarm. And finally, I really paid attention to when I was going to bed. As simple as that, I had an hour and a half carved out!

Now, to make sure those things I do for me really happen!!

Last week was my first week, but boy was I motivated. I was in bed at a reasonable hour. I was up and happy. I used #2 to read a book with tips on teaching. It was a phenomenal book and I definitely felt motivated! 🙂 I knew what I was doing in our homeschool and had everything at my fingertips.

Let’s hope this is the start of a powerful new routine! I’m motivated. And excited. That’s at least a great start!

What’s on your morning list? Do you have a realistic grasp on everything that needs to get done before you jump into working with the kids in your homeschool? Do you need to carve out more time like I obviously did?!!

One more thing before I go, Hal called his routine the “Miracle Morning” because it transformed his life so much. I decided I really liked the ring of “Power Morning” better because I wanted to start my day out strong (rather than whimpy) and strengthening me (intellectually, physically, etc.).

So, that’s it for today. I started to write a little bit about how I’ve tried to keep things a bit more organized, but before I knew it the post was becoming WAAAaaay too long. So, I’m going to wrap this up here and leave the second half of this post: Thoughts on Teaching: Getting Organized for another day!

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Hi! I’m Liesl!

Do you believe education can be exciting, inspiring, and full of joy? We do too!
I love the quote by William Butler Yeats, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." It's about getting the kids involved, engaged, and fired up about learning (while juggling the rest of life too!)

A bit about me: I have my Master's from Brown University. I have more than 20 years of teaching experience. I was a high school teacher for many years both in the U.S. and internationally and also taught for the University of Maryland before leaving to homeschool my 3 wonderful kids.
To read more about us CLICK HERE.

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